The present embodiments relate to tongue imaging.
The “R” sound is one of the most common speech defects (vocalic R speech disorder) in children, and one of the hardest to correct. A significant number of children who struggle with the “R” sound go to a speech pathologist weekly for a couple of years, make no progress, and then get discharged from therapy with a conclusion of “unlikely to ever learn it.”
Ultrasound imaging may be used to improve speech pathology. Ultrasound imaging is used as biofeedback to improve outcome, shorten treatment times, and save money for schools. Portable ultrasound devices scan the mouth to show a patient how they are incorrectly positioning their tongue. For example, to guide the patient, a speech pathologist may use a pen as a pointer on the screen to give the patient a target to aim at in curling their tongue while pronouncing “R”s. This biofeedback based on ultrasound imaging may increase the therapy success rate for “R,” “L,” “D,” “T,” and “N” speech disorders, and possibly many others.
However, ultrasound biofeedback for speech therapy may be difficult for some patients. Ultrasound scanning generates speckle noise and includes signals from other objects than the tongue. A patient may find it difficult to visualize the tongue from an ultrasound image. The speech pathologist may not be well trained in ultrasound scanning, so may have difficulty configuring the ultrasound system.